About Mi'Chael

Mi'Chael N. Wright is a PhD Candidate in the Department of Sociology at the University of Minnesota, Twin Cities. Her primary research focuses on sociology of adolescence, sociology of identity, and sociology of mental health. She is specifically interested in how digital communities, which can be simultaneously encouraging and hostile, constitute the identity development of Black adolescent girls. 

As a Robert Wood Johnson Health Policy Research Scholar, Mi’Chael’s research interests focus on the development of social identities and mental health for Black adolescent girls. Mi’Chael plans to take a mixed-methods approach, using digital ethnography, focus groups, and in-depth semi-structured interviewing to analyze the effect of social media use on adolescent development and mental health.

Mi’Chael has worked in interdisciplinary spaces, such as NOAA, where she explored using digital communication to build prepared and resilient communities during severe weather events. Mi’Chael’s current research will push the boundaries of academia and demand for interdisciplinary structural change to protect and prepare our future generation.

As a Black woman online, Mi’Chael is invested in uplifting the current dialogue around digital sociology, a sub-discipline that highlights the role of digital media in everyday life and social relationships.